Higehiro episode 1 just aired, and it’s off to a great start.
From the first viewing of After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway, I can tell that this season will be packed with a lot of laughs. However, this show is not just some throw away comedy, and the depth to these characters just from a glance is impressive.
The animation from studio Project No.9 was extremely high quality and showed great detail. Also wanted to credit the voice actors for a great debut. All of the characters packed a ton of emotion into limited roles.
A simple premise, we begin on the main character Yoshida’s “date” with his coworker. Had it not been for the obvious intent, it would have been a lovely dinner.
However, things take a turn for the worst in a hurry. This leaves Yoshida to drink his sorrows away alone. Stumbling home from the bar, he finds a young girl under a lamppost, freezing in the night.
He asks the obvious questions like where’s her family, and does she have a place to stay. She reveals she has nothing but her clothes. Drunk but not heartless, Yoshida says she can stay with him for the “night.”
She initially expects to pay him back with her body, but gets promptly rejected. Instead she can stay with him no extra strings attached except for a bowl of miso soup.
The show’s basic formula is nothing most anime fans haven’t seen already. However, something I really took away was the depth to characters, and how they are more human than most shows I’ve seen.
The girl isn’t overbearing in her seduction attempts on Yoshida. Her behavior is based more on expectations, rather than attitude. Yoshida also isn’t a “good guy” for rejecting her on morality alone. He sees her attraction, but he also sees something beyond that.
This show seems much more than a young girl needing guidance, meeting an older character needing a purpose. In only 20 minutes, I became fully invested in their story and whatever path these characters take.
If you’re a fan on any romcom anime then I recommend this show as early one to watch. Also check out news on the light novel here.
Vote Higehiro Episode 1 as anime of the week in our Spring 2021 poll.
All images are courtesy of the Higehiro episode 1 stream on Crunchyroll.
